Argoe
Newlyn, Cornwall
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If you’re looking for the freshest Cornish seafood, treated with simplicity and culinary intelligence, look no further than this purpose-built, wood-clad building overlooking Newlyn’s picturesque harbour, just a few steps from the town’s famous fish market. In agreeable weather a table on the terrace is a prime spot, but the views are just as good from inside the intimate dining room. Co-owned by Rochelle Canteen's former head chef Ben Coombs and Newlyn fishmonger Richard Adams, Argoe's short menu is dictated by the day's catch. For one visitor, Sunday lunch was a masterclass in less-is-more cooking based on sustainable varieties of seafood: deep-fried whole megrim served with a punchy aïoli and grilled John Dory simply garnished with a lemon wedge were both 'cooked to perfection'. At the same meal, a superlative fish soup of deep flavour was as good as many a more famous version. Desserts are a knockout too, if a generously proportioned and beautifully baked American-style strawberry shortcake featuring ripe, flavour-packed berries and lashings of cream is anything to go by. The crème caramel-like baked custard with rum-soaked raisins is a must-order, too. Some may find the truncated list of low-intervention wines (just three whites and one each of sparkling, rosé, orange and red) a little limited, especially as they are offered on tap only, but a 500ml carafe of Mâcon Blanc 'went down a treat' – as did some well-made Negronis and a snack of homemade crisps with a butter bean dip. Add in genuinely welcoming service and a relatively modest bill and you have an irresistible, hugely enjoyable proposition.
